Tag: Paris

April in Paris

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April In Paris

I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace

Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
Holiday tables under the trees
April in Paris, this is a feeling

That no one can ever reprise
I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace

Till April in Paris
Whom can I run to
What have you done to my heart
……………………………………..
What a beautiful song. It is so romantic and it makes you feel warm inside and  very much loved.

Paris is known for his romantic ambience, many proposals of marriage were executed in the city of romance, especially on top of paristhe Eiffel Tower.   Tom Cruise was so  giddy with excitement of the place that he proposed to Katie Holmes in Paris.  There were even rumours that the late Princess of Wales was proposed to by Dodie Fayed, just before their untimely death. 🙁

Anyway, we have this idealised city where everyone is well turned out, in the height of fashion, women are beautifully coiffured, dressed in the latest designer accessories.  They are all so chic and confident.

Peter and I love Paris and we hope to go back one day.  There are so much to see and admire.  It is so beautiful and the food are really something.

But did you know that there is some sort of medical condition called Paris Syndrome, which was first diagnosed in 1986.  Apparently sufferers manifest symptoms of depression, hallucination, nausea and tachycardia (fast heart rate)

It was found that the reason for an attack of Paris Syndrome, which seems to afflict many Japanese tourists, was due to culture shock, language barriers and tiredness.

About a dozen Japanese tourists suffer from the condition each year.

Apparently these people found that Paris is vastly different from their romanticised, idealised and imagined city of love.   What they saw was Paris being just a regular place, like many others.  Some parts are noisy, dirty and disorganised. 🙂

Marie Antoinette

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Marie Antoinette Locket

The above beautiful and rather ornate Heart shaped pendant locket is traditionally ascribed as belonging to Marie Antoinette, set under glass or rock-crystal with an inscribed card and mounted in a gold filigree setting also contains a lock of her hair.

A small gold padlock is suspended from the base with a key on a chain attached to the suspension loop. The filigree in the form of tight spiral discs forming ‘spectacles’ shapes, placed within the flat wire rim.

If you want to see it up close and personal, go to the British Museum.

By Jean-Baptiste Gautier Dagoty (1740-1786) - Unknown, Public Domain,

By Jean-Baptiste Gautier Dagoty (1740-1786) – Unknown, Public Domain,

Marie Antoinette was born on November 2, 1755 in Vienna, Austria. She was the 15th of the 16 children of Emperor Francis I.  She was only 15 years old when she was married off to Louis XVI of France, who was then 16.

She was only a teenager when she became a queen. She became a symbol of the excesses of the monarchy and is traditionally credited with the famous quote: “Let them eat cake,”, although there is no evidence she actually said it, upon learning that the peasants had no bread.

This showed that the great princess was out of touch and oblivious to the condition of the people.

The beautiful Marie Antoniette was beheaded by guillotine.

London Voted Best City

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London

London Voted Best City

 

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.
– Samuel Johnson

From the excellent Time Out Magazine in London this week.

London was voted best city in the world, knocking Paris off the top spot.

 

The Parliament, Photo by PH Morton

 

Posted at 2:15 pm, October 11, 2013 in FunLondon, News
City Rivalry

It’s no surprise to us, but this week London was voted the best city in the world according to the Anholt-GFK City Brands Index, a bi-annual survey of city visitors, knocking Paris off the top spot. Visitors were questioned on various aspects of a city, including international standing, variety of things to do, and how nice it looks. London bagged the top spot, followed by Sydney, Paris, New York and Rome.

Strangely enough, the very next day London took the top spot in Crap Towns Returns. Pfffft. Londoners can take solace from the fact that the world seems to love us, just as much as the rest of the UK loves to hate us.

Colin Smith

November 2020 Update

According to Lonely Planet

London has been voted as the best city in the world for the sixth time running.

For the complete list, click here.

Mona Lisa

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It is being claimed that the bones/skeleton of Lisa Gharardini, the woman who posed for arguably the most famous painting of all, the Mona Lisa – the woman with the half-smile from by Leonardo Da Vinci has apparently been unearthed.

It was alleged that her skeleton was buried beneath the floor in a convent in Florence. Archaeologists were all excited with the find.

The Mona Lisa which is on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris is known as La Gioconda in Italy.

How Lisa ended up in a convent in Florence might have to do with her becoming a nun after the death of her husband, Francesco del Gioconda, a rich silk merchant. Lisa is thought to have died and was buried at the convent in 1542.

I have seen the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre. I was amazed at how small the canvas was!

Jean (Me) in front of the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre Museum